While the timing of everything is odd, it’s really just a series of required roster moves. White was in AHL Lehigh Valley on a conditioning assignment and needed to be recalled before he could get sent back down; that said, there was a chance he could’ve stuck around Philly for a bit as captain Claude Giroux’s status (day-to-day with skate cut) remains uncertain for tomorrow’s game against the Sens.

As for White, he’s yet to play in the NHL this season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle earlier in the campaign. The injury has also kept White from making his Flyers debut; prior to joining the club this offseason, the 26-year-old spent his first five professional seasons in the Montreal organization.

It would have been difficult for the Philadelphia Flyers to beat the New Jersey Devils last night given that Claude Giroux wasn’t available, but the fact that they were missing one of the best players in the game isn’t something they are going to hide behind.

Not when Saturday’s 5-2 defeat to New Jersey extended Philadelphia’s losing streak to five games and further diminished the team’s chances of making the playoffs.

“Obviously, we’re not playing,” goaltender Steve Mason told CSN Philly. “[Coach Craig Berube] has given us a game plan and we’re not sticking to it in any form. We’re letting down Chief. We’re letting down ourselves and the Flyers organization’s reputation as a whole. This is not what we’re supposed to be known for.”

Mason feels the Flyers’ efforts have been flat at times and defenseman Nicklas Grossmann offered a similar sentiment, but Berube disagrees.

“I really don’t believe it’s the overall game itself — the effort’s been there, the competitiveness has been there,” Berube said. “I think we played well on this road trip. I look defensively, I think we’ve done a real good job. We haven’t scored timely goals at times, and different things that have cost us hockey games.”

Philadelphia is 10 points shy of a playoff spot as it nears the halfway point of its schedule. On the plus side, the Flyers will play at home on Tuesday for the first time since Dec. 18. Given their 6-13-4 road record this season, a four-game stretch at the Wells Fargo Center will be a welcome change of pace.

Perhaps getting dominated by an all-time great (Jaromir Jagr) and being without one of the game’s best forwards (Claude Giroux) had Wayne Simmonds thinking as the New Jersey Devils plundered his Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 on Saturday.

The Flyers have lost five games in a row, but the good news is that they’ll be back in Philly for four straight home games. Even with a holiday break to soften some of the blow, that eight-game stretch is a challenge for any team, let alone an up-and-down group like the Flyers.

It was expected that Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux would test his leg to see if he could play against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, but he didn’t even warm up and will miss the game altogether.

CSNPhilly.com points out that Giroux had played 168 games in a row, having not missed a game since April 7, 2012. He suffered a cut from a skate blade via Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk on Friday.

Philly will dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen against the Devils tonight, as Scott Laughton is also out with an undisclosed injury.